Blind wine tasting

WHINE # 64

TASTING WINE OBJECTIVELY:  When I was in graduate school fifty years ago I studied the role of expectations in determining the outcomes of research.  Yes, I even wrote my dissertation on that subject.   What we expect to get frequently determines not only what we think we get but these expectations can even influence others’ behaviors.

This phenomenon holds true in the world of wine-tasting.   For example, If we know (or think we know) that the wine is expensive, we are much more likely to rate the wine as good or great as opposed to knowing (or thinking we know) that the wine is “plonc.”

For this reason the only way that one can objectively assess a wine is to taste it under blind conditions.   When we taste wines and compare wines under a true double-blind set-up we are not only being fair to the wines  that we assess, but we will have more fun,  and in the process learn a lot about ourselves and what we truly like and don’t like.

In this Whine I shall describe two blind wine tastings that happened at my house over the holidays.  I think you may find the results to be interesting.

RIPASSO OR DOUBLE-PASS WINES:  In Whine # 63 I wrote about Ripasso and Ripasso-type wines.  To make these wines, a second fermentation is introduced by pouring new wine over the fermented skins of semi-dried grapes.  Valpolicella is famous for making wines in this fashion.  However, the process is rarely used outside of Italy.  After describing one Australian “second-pass” wine that I had recently discovered, I asked my readers if they had ever run across any other non-Italian second fermentation wines.

Within a few minutes of posting my blog I got a response from my friend Nancy Sullivan who told me about a winery (Foreign Affairs) in Vinland, Ontario that specializes in this process.  I, of course, was very anxious to try this wine.

Since Foreign Affairs’ wines are not marketed in Nova Scotia, I asked my son to pick up a couple of bottles at an LCBO store and bring them home at Christmas.

On Boxing Day, eleven of us gathered around the table for a meal of prime rib (couldn’t face turkey two days in a row).  While my four young grandsons quaffed chocolate milk, the seven adults were each  presented with three glasses of red wine and were asked to indicate at the end of the meal which of the wines they preferred.  No-one, including me, knew what wines were in which glass,  but we did know that the three wines had all been made in the ripasso-style and that one was Australian, one was Italian and one was Canadian.  As an aside,  preparing these wines was easy.  I simply taped a sheet of plain white paper around each bottle and then labelled them “A”, “B”, and “C”.  Next my son taped over my letters and randomly labelled them “D”, “E”, and “F”.  This process is correctly called “double-blind”, as neither my son nor I knew what was in each bottle.

The three wines were:  Folonari Valpolicella Classico Ripasso,  Alfredo Dried Grape Shiraz, and Foreign Affairs Cabernet Sauvignon Double Pass.

To go back to expectations, as the meal progressed the seven of us settled on which wine we liked best and which wine we liked least.  Our biases clearly showed in that each of us identified the wine we liked least as the Ontario wine, even though we disagreed on which wine that was.

At the end of the meal all was revealed and it turned out that three of us chose the Australian as the best wine, three of us chose the Ontario wine as the best wine and only one person preferred the Italian wine.  Two of the three who chose the Australian wine picked the Ontario wine as their second choice.  To put it mildly we all were quite surprised to discover how well the Canadian Foreign Affairs wine did.

For those of you who live in Ontario, I strongly recommend you search through your local LCBO and try and locate a bottle of Foreign Affairs.  For me, I can’t wait until spring so I can visit the winery itself and try some of their other wines.

ARGENTINA 3, FRANCE 1:  In Whine # 59 I retold the story of Steven Spurrier’s 1976 world famous double-blind comparison of French and Napa Valley wines.  In this tasting French experts not only mis-identified the wines, they rated the American wines higher than the French wines in every category.  Once Time Magazine wrote about this event American wines not only gained the respect of wine lovers all over the world, they quickly escalated in price.  The movie “Bottleshock” is a wonderful telling of this milestone event.

Most years I host a Christmas wine tasting and this year I decided to do a Steven Spurrier type tasting, but with three differences.  First the judges were not experts but were my wine-loving friends; second the wines chosen for the event were more middle-priced than those chosen by Spurrier, and finally I decided to compare French wines with Argentinian wines.

Twenty-two people tasted four “flights” of wines.  In each “flight” a French wine was paired with an Argentinian wine of the same varietal.  The average price of the French wines was virtually identical to the price of the Argentinian wines, although some flights had a higher priced Argentinian wine and for some flights the higher-priced wine was French.

Needlesstosay my guests were only told that there was a French and an Argentinian wine in each pair.

In Flight One a 2013 Las Palmas Chardonnay faced off against a 2011 Macon Villages (also Chardonnay).  The majority of the guests preferred the French wine.

In Flight Two a 2011 Trapiche Gran Medalla (Malbec) was compared to a 2010 Trical Cahors (Malbec or what the French call “Cot”).  Here the majority of guests preferred the Argentinian Malbec.

Flight Three pitted a 2014 Las Moras DaDa (Merlot) against a 2012 Petit Cantenac St. Emillion (primarily Merlot).  Again the Argentinian was heavily preferred.

Finally Flight four had a 2013 Lorca Cabernet Sauvignon and a 2010 LaChapelle D’Escarac Medoc (primarily Cabernet).    The Argentinian wine was overwhelmingly preferred.

These results reinforced my preferences as I quite like French Chardonnay (particularly if from Chablis) and I certainly prefer almost any Argentinian Red to a French Red (if it is in the same price range).

One caution, however!  I am not claiming that Argentinian Reds are better quality than French Reds.  All I am saying is that most, but not all, wine drinkers who live in Antigonish, Nova Scotia generally find Argentinian wines to be more to their personal tastes.

I recommend that you do your own double-blind tastings.  Maybe you’ll discover what you really like, rather than sticking with what you think you should like.   I’ll even make a prediction.  If you do several of these blind tasting my guess is that you will discover that your personal taste tends to be for either Old World wines or for New World wines and that you will consistently prefer one style to the other.

OPIMIAN OFFERING C238:  My recommendations for everyday, inexpensive wines are a white (8424 Folies Parisiennes Sauvignon Blanc/Chasan) and a red (8449 Paulita Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon).  Only slightly more expensive are another white (8439 les Vignobles de Tim et Lou Viognier) and another red (8441 Chateau Brugayrole Corbieres)

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas Whine

WHINE #  63

 

Welcome Jim McMullin of Antigonish to the Whine!

Ripasso or Second Pass Wine:   For many years producers in the Valpolicella region of northern Italy (near Verona) have taken their simple, light, and highly acidic reds wines, and through a process of second fermentation, given them more structure, body and flavor.  The process they use, which I shall describe below, is usually called “Ripasso”, but occasionally is referred to as “second pass” or “double fermentation.”

First, however, I need to offer a semantic caution.  The phrase “double fermentation” is also used to refer to the process for making Champagne or other high-quality sparkling wines.  In this case after the wine has completed fermentation, sugar and yeast are added prior to bottling.  In the bottles fermentation continues and creates carbon dioxide which of course is the bubbles that make sparkling wine so unique and tasty. 

The ripasso method, long used in Valpolicella, is quite different.  Here some of the grapes are semi-dried, then squeezed and fermented with the skins.  After long fermentation the skins are removed.  Then ordinary Valpolicella wine is poured over these skins starting a second fermentation.  The process results in a very different and much better wine than what was originally produced with the same grapes and ordinary wine-making techniques.

Valpolicella, by the way, is a wine made of three varietals, Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara.  Ordinary Valpolicella reminds me a bit of cheap Chianti (made from Sangiovese grapes) and is usually thin and sharp.  Though not necessarily bad with pizza or tomato-sauced pasta, Valpolicella is generally one of my least favorite wines.

But, there are five levels of wine made in Valpolicella, and fortunately the terms give a clear indication of what kind of wine to expect when you pull the cork.  Labelling is clear and you will easily tell the quality of the wine you are about to purchase.

At the bottom is “Valpolicella Classico”, the thin, very highly acidic stuff mentioned above.  Next is an only slightly better wine called “Valpolicella Superiore.”  The third level is “Valipolicella Superiore Ripasso” and this is smooth, highly drinkable, and most importantly, affordable.  For special occasions one might open a bottle of the fourth level wine called “Amarone della Valpolicella”.  However, you should expect to pay in the $ 40-50. range.  Finally, at the top of the pyramid is “Recioto della Valpolicella.”, which in not available in Nova Scotia.  While simple Valpolicella is very sharp to the taste, the three top wines, all of which are second pass wines, are smooth and delicious.

Australia and second pass:  Very recently I discovered that there is now a vintner, Nugan Estate Pty Ltd, in Australia that is using the ripasso method with shiraz grapes.  This winery produces two of these wines.  The first is Alfredo Second Pass and it is available in the LCBO stores in Ontario.  A much higher level wine is called Alfredo Dried Grape Shiraz.  I was blown away when I tried this a few weeks ago.  While available in select NSLC stores here in Nova Scotia, it cannot be purchased in Quebec or Ontario.  So, Nova Scotians, the next time you are in Halifax drop into the Port of Wines and pick up a bottle of this wonderful wine ($ 26.29).  I consider this wine to be one of the 10 best wines I drank in 2015.

I should also note that “ripasso” is a trademark and can only be used to refer to wine from Valpolicella.   Just as makers of sparkling wine cannot legally use the term “Champagne” unless they are from Champagne, the Nugan Estate has to call its wine “dried grape” or “second pass”.  

Finally, the Nugan wines are the only ripasso-type wines outside of Italy that I can find.  If any of you discover another “second pass” wine please, please, please let me know.

Wines of Brazil:  Betty and I just returned from a great sail up the Amazon River.  Naturally, I had to try Brazilian wine.  As the per capita wine consumption in Brazil is less than that in several Moslem countries, my expectations were not very high.  As it turned out the taste of the red that I tried was exactly at the level I expected.  On the other hand, Brazil does make some drinkable sparkling wine.  Interesting that Brazil could be so different than its neighbours Argentina or Uruguay in terms of being able to produce quality wines.

Wine with your Christmas turkey:  I sometimes get asked what is the best wine for Christmas dinner.  The answer is easy because turkey goes well with lots of different wines.  For those of you who like to have white wine with white meat then almost any white (that you like) will be suitable.  However, my personal preference would be a Viognier or an Albarino. 

Reds also go well with turkey provided they are not overly oaked or too heavy.  Pinot Noir is the traditional match, but Gamay (Beaujolais) also works.  If you have lots of spicy dressing, especially if your dressing contains summer savory (as all good Maritime dressings do), then a perhaps better match would be Zinfandel or even a young Shiraz.  What makes the meal even better is to have a chilled glass of your favorite sparkling wine prior to the meal itself.

Christmas Miracle (thanks to Carolyn McFarlane for sharing this):  According to the Bible Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Palestine, a country where people are usually called Mohammed, Abdul, Mounir, Aziz, Ahmed, Farid, Omar, Youssouf, Mouloud, etc…  And yet he managed to find 12 friends called John, Peter, Paul, Phillip, Mark, Thomas, Luke, Matthew, Andrew, and Simon… who all drank wine!  What a miracle!

Opimian Offering C237:  For those of you who are Opimian members this is the one time each year that you can order wines from South America.  So, pick a credit card with lots left on it and load up on some great wines.  There are so many in this offering that it is hard for me to pick.  Nonetheless, if you are looking for wines under $ 20. try 8407 Cornellana Reserve Carmenere, or 8408 Cornellana Reserve Shiraz.  In the $ 25 range try 8374 Lirico Malbec, 8383 Blason Tempranillo, 8398 Villard Espresion Reserve, or 8411 Cornellana Barrel Reserve Cabernet.  But, why not go for it and order 8370 Tematico Reserva Malbec.  You’ll be glad you did.

Whine 62

WHINE 62:  OLD VERSUS NEW WORLD WINES

 

Welcome Teresa Ferreiro of Barcelona, Spain to the Whine.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE:  After dividing wines in red and white perhaps the biggest division is between wines from the “Old World” and wines from the “New World.”  It might seem inane to place all wines into two categories, given that there are scores and scores of wine producing countries, several thousand grape varieties, and hundreds of thousands of vineyards.  Yet, the distinction does make considerable sense because there are distinguishable differences, particularly when tasting red wines.

Generally speaking New World wines have higher viscosity, meaning they taste thicker.  This is largely due to the higher alcohol content.  Sometimes this difference is described in terms of boldness, sometimes as heaviness, or simply bigness.  Most of the major New World producers (Australia, California, Chile, Argentina) have longer growing seasons and hotter, drier climates than the major Old World producers (France, Italy and Spain).  This means that the grapes have higher sugar content when picked.  Also, producers of New World wines like to market wines that do not need a long time in the cellar.  Thus, they tend to pick the fruit later in its cycle, again leading to less need for long cellaring.  Unfortunately most consumers on this side of the Atlantic don’t bother to cellar their wines and tend to pull the cork within hours of purchase.

Another generalization, although with many, many exceptions, is the fact that Old World producers are more likely to blend their wines, making them a little more subtle in flavour.  Perhaps part of the reason for this is that New World wines are more likely to marketed by varietal, and less likely to be labelled by sub-region or sub-sub-region.

TASTING OLD AND NEW:   At the end of August I organized a wine-tasting for members of the Maritime Seniors Golf Association.   The second evening, after a beautiful day on the course, golfers gathered for a pre-dinner tasting.

Following a white wine starter, I chose four red wines for tasting; two of which were Old World and two were New World.  While nibbling on crackers and cheese everyone blind-tasted a Bordeaux (France), a Rijoa (Spain), a Cabernet Sauvignon (California) and a Malbec (Argentina).  The wines were tasted in no particular order and some went back to each wine on more than one occasion.

In addition to attempting to identify the wines (in terms of Old versus New World, country, and varietal) everyone was asked to name the wine that they liked best, and also the wine they liked least.  Each wine cost in the vicinity of $ 20.

When I looked at the ratings I was surprised to note that there was almost a four-way tie in terms of which wine was preferred.  Similarly there was virtual tie in terms of least preferred wine.  Thus it looked at first like a random picking.  However, when I looked a little more closely at the data (mining data was what I did back when I was an academic) I found a most interesting relationship.  To a person those who chose either the French or the Spanish wine as their favorite chose either the Californian or the Argentinian wine as their least favorite.  With one exception those that chose one of the New World wines as favorite chose one of the Old World wines as least favorite. 

I found the above result to be quite amazing.  It suggests to me that there is no point in arguing about the merits of New versus Old World wines.  Some people prefer the taste of the bigger and bolder wines,  whereas others prefer the lighter tasting wines.  Perhaps when someone says “I have no idea what I am drinking but I know what I like” they are being quite accurate.  In fact when I think of my wine-loving friends I can with no difficulty divide them into those who like the Old World and those who prefer the New.  

OLD VERSUS NEW WHITE WINES:  To my taste the difference between Old and New World is not as great when it comes to whites.  Yet, there are differences, again following the same dimensions as above.  At a personal level I am definitely a New World red wine enthusiast, but most of the time I gravitate toward the Old World when choosing a white.

My favorite white wine is Chablis which comes from the Burgundy area of France and is made from the Chardonnay grape.  I find most Chablis so much more elegant than the heavier, frequently overly oaked Chardonnays that are so associated with California. 

More recently I discovered Albarino, which comes from Galacia in northwest Spain.  This crisp, zesty wine has hints of citrus as well as minerals and reminds one of Viognier, another of my favorite grapes.  The same grape is also grown in Portugal where it is called Alvarinho.  This wonderful grape is now beginning to find its way to the New World, California in particular. 

If you are looking for something other than your usual Sauvignon Blanc or your Pinot Grigio (and if you have lots of money), try a real French Chablis.  If you have less to spend see if you can locate a bottle of Albarino

OPIMIAN OFFERING 236:  A couple of recommendations this time.

8328 GMH Meritage--good value everyday wine

8320--Hastwell and Lightfoot cabernet--a more expensive wine for just the right meal

Price and Value

 

 

THE PRICE OF WINE:   A few days ago I received Opimian Offering # 235, which is the last catalogue for this season.  I eagerly await this final offering because this is the one time each year that I can order Californian wines from Opimian.

To my shock many if not most of the wines offered were listed at $ 50. to $ 60. per bottle.  Now I occasionally drink wine in this price range.  However, most of my daily needs are met by bottles costing $ 25. or less.  Why do these prices seem so high?

I next dug out last year’s offering and compared the wines that were offered in both catalogues.  In fact the increase in price was around 14%.  While that may seem a lot we are now living with a Canadian dollar that has lost nearly 20% of its value (as compared to the U.S. greenback) in the past year.  In that context, the price of these wines may actually have dropped.

I next compared wine price increase for Chilean and Argentinian wines.  Here the price increases were approximately 5 per cent.  Since most of the drop in the Canadian dollar in the past year was against the U.S. dollar and not against other currencies this increase also makes sense.

Since most wine (at least the decent stuff) is imported one important variable in wine pricing is currency fluctuations.  Imagine how cheap Retsina will be if Greece goes back to the Drachma.

OTHER FACTORS AFFECTING PRICE:  There are a number of factors that go into the supply/demand equation.  Reputation of a wine (deserved or not) affects price.  As French wine loses popularity in North America this is more than made up for by the prestige that French wine holds among the Chinese middle class.  This is particularly true for the traditional wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy; less so for the wines of the south of France.  Apparently there is little to be gained in a Chinese home by showing off a bottle of Languedoc.  Interestingly the Japanese market has little effect on wine prices, but an apparent large effect on the price of Scotch whiskey.

In recent years there has been a spat of wineries purchased by famous people.  I have tried wines by Greg Norman, Francis Ford Copola, and even Mike Weir to name a few.  Here the consumer is paying for fame or notoriety of the vineyard owner; usually someone who has questionable wine making skills.  I now try to avoid any of these wines.

While currency fluctuations and name recognition of a vineyard owner may affect the price of a wine, they do not affect the quality.  On the other hand, the fame of a wine-growing area may be some hint as to a wine’s quality.  Yet, the demand that follows that fame may drive the price beyond the true value of the wine.  For example one can easily argue that the world’s best wine comes from the Napa Valley.  It follows then that some of the world’s most expensive wine is from Napa.  But on average are Napa wines really any better than wines from neighbouring Sonoma, where the price is less?  Another example is that famous wine from the south of France, Chateauneuf-du-Pape.  I like this wine but I can’t tell it from Gigondas, a less expensive wine produced only a few metres away.

OLD VERSUS NEW VINES:  Now here is one variable that greatly affects the price and at the same time is a true indication of quality: the age of the vine. 

A grapevine is ready for first production about five years after planting.  The vine soon reaches peak production but after fifteen or twenty years it gradually produces fewer and fewer grapes.  At 75-100 years production is a fraction of what it was decades earlier. 

One would think that growers would therefore rip out the vines at 20 years or so and replant so that production would remain high.  But here is the rub.   As a vine ages the quality of the fruit increases and therefore the quality of the wine increases.  It is almost a linear function; the older the vine the better the wine. 

Older wines produce less but better wines and, of course, the older the vine the more expensive the wine.  Sometimes you will see on the label a term such as “Old Vine Zinfandel”.  This tells you the bottle will be expensive but perhaps worth the price.  Naturally there is no legal definition of “old vines” so be a little cautious.  Occasionally you will see the actual age of the vines listed on the label.  If the label says the wine came from 60 year-old vines, that is a great piece of information.

Finally, and this is a very personal opinion, I believe that there is a relationship between price and quality.  But this relationship is far less than perfect and it certainly is not linear.  Generally speaking a more expensive wine is of better quality, but there are lots of exceptions.

More importantly, I believe that the relationship is much closer at the bottom end of the price range than at the middle or top end.  My experience tells me that a $ 20 wine is almost always better than a $ 10 wine, and the difference in quality is considerable.  However, I find that if a $ 40 wine is better than a $ 20 wine the difference in quality is not nearly as great.

So what do I drink?  I avoid wines in the $ 10-12 range.  I drink lots of wine in the $ 20 range; some in the $ 40 range; and once or twice a year I’ll quaff an $80 wine.

PLAVIC MALI:  I recently had my second visit to the beautiful country of Croatia.  Not only is the coastline spectacular, this small Balkan country has produced wine for more than 2,000 years.  In fact Croatia is the 30^th producer of wine by volume in the world.

Perhaps because of its long history of wine-making most of the wine produced in Croatia is made from varietals that are both indigenous to the area and not grown in other countries (Slovenia perhaps being an exception).

By far the most common grape is PLAVIC MALI, a native varietal of Dalmatia, but now grown throughout Croatia.  Once thought to be the original Zinfandel, Plavic Mali can perhaps be described as a niece/nephew of Zinfandel.  The original Zinfandel is a variety called Crijenak Kastelanski and California can thank Croatia for giving it its most famous wine.

Plavic Mali has an intense flavour, a high alcohol content and can be described as having “fruit forward”.  Unfortunately my cellar contains only one bottle of Plavic Mali (carefully brought back in my suitcase).  I haven’t decided if I’ll share that bottle with friends or just quietly drink it some night.

OPIMIAN OFFERING 235:  As I mentioned at the beginning of this Whine, the offerings in this category are generally quite expensive.   There are a few wines under $ 20.  I have tried them all and I shall not be purchasing them again.  If you feel that you want to order something, why not try one of the offerings (also expensive) from Oregon or Washington?  Oregon is famous for its Pinot Noir and I am particularly partial to wines from Washington State.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whine # 60

Quote of the day:  “Wine improves with age, the older I get the better I like it.”

Summer Wine:   For those of a certain age the term “summer wine” brings memories of the 1967 hit song by Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood.  In that song sultry Nancy gets Lee drunk in order to steal his silver spurs along with $ 1.10.  Her “summer wine” was flavored with strawberries and cherries and no doubt was a bit sweet. 

My notion of summer wine is something crisp and refreshing and which will not lead to a Lee Hazelwood type of massive hangover.  Here are my recommendations for White or Rose summer wines.  All of these wines should be served very cold.

Sauvignon Blanc:   Sauvignon Blanc is crisp, light and refreshing despite its relatively high alcohol content.    It is distinctive in that it tastes like citrus, lime or possibly green apple.  Because of its high acidity this wine pairs well with all those summer salads that have oil and vinegar as dressing.

Pinot Grigio:  If you prefer something a little less acidic then this could be your choice.  Again, this is a high alcohol content white, but the taste is less of citrus fruit and more like mango or melon.

Vinho Verde:  My favorite summer sipping wine is this very low alcohol (9.5%) wine from Portugal.  It is classified as a “crackling wine” which means there is a slight effervescence, but not full bubbles as in a sparkling wine.  On a hot day this wine is wonderful when served very, very cold.

Viognier and Chardonnay:  These wines are less acidic, and if they have been oaked (as are many California Chardonnays) there is a distinct buttery taste.  Either will go very well with boiled lobster that is dipped in melted butter.  Also a good accompaniment for Digby scallops.

Rose:  In hot weather don’t overlook Rose.  Although many roses pair well with food, I prefer mine chilled and on its own.  Roses come from many different countries and are made from many different grapes.  Experiment with which one suits your taste.

Summer reds:  After you have started with a cold beer or a cold white wine, it is time to fire up the barbecue.  Now is the time for a big, bold red wine to accompany your favorite protein.  If you are grilling a nice thick steak then your choice should be an aged Cabernet Sauvignon  from Australia, California or South America.  With ribs, nothing matches better than a spicy Shiraz from Australia.  On the other hand you may be doing chicken, in which case I suggest a good Merlot.  Finally, my favorite for the summer grill is a thick salmon steak.  Although this will pair with a Chardonnay I tend to stick to a light red such as Pinot Noir.

None of the above suggestions involve strawberries or cherries, but then I don’t have a pair of silver spurs to catch Nancy’s fancy.

Corkage Fees:  Restaurants’ wine lists have a mark-up of at least 100%, frequently much more.  It is always annoying to find that an ordinary $ 20. bottle will cost $ 40. or $ 45.  In most cases a good bottle is just too expensive to order.  Thus, one may end up with very good food, but accompanied by a mediocre wine.

In Nova Scotia, as in many other places, restaurants are required to allow customers to bring their own wine.  However, the restaurant will charge a hefty corkage fee, so again it will cost perhaps $ 40. to drink a $ 15. bottle of wine.  Of course, if you bring a very expensive wine with you the percentage “mark-up” is less.

Occasionally, one finds a good restaurant that doesn’t charge a corkage fee.  Le Cuisine de Robichaud in Saulnierville, N.S. is one of those.  Another excellent restaurant that I recently visited for the second time is Chantel’s Steakhouse in Edmundston, N.B.   Here there is a fee but it is a mere $ 1.10 per person.

In April we took a family cruise with our sons and their families to celebrate Betty’s and my 50^th anniversary.   To our surprise Royal Caribbean has ended the corkage fee practice in their main dining room.  The catch, of course, is that when initially boarding one is only allowed to bring two bottles of wine per stateroom.  However, this is still better than other cruiselines that tend to charge  corkage fee of $ 25. U.S.

Opimian offering:  My pick from this selection is 8192 Chateau Canet (2014) from Minervois.  This wine doesn’t need much aging and is a little more bold and more affordable than most French wines. 

WHINE # 59

Napa versus France: Many would argue that the world's best wines come from Napa, California. Nonetheless, this great wine-growing valley was relatively unrecognized prior to the 1970's. Then in 1976 Steven Spurrier, an English wine merchant and wine school owner, decided to get a little publicity by having a blind wine-tasting in which some of the better wines from Napa were presented head-on against some of the best of France.

After travelling to Napa to collect wines Spurrier invited nine of France's best known experts to do the tasting. In the first round only Chardonnays were tried. To Spurrier's great surprise the wine rated at the top was a Chateau Montelena from Napa. A 1973 Meursault-Charmes from Burgundy came second, but the third and fourth places also went to Napa wines.

Spurrier was so shocked that he told the French tasters that an American wine had won. He at least, however, maintained the double-blind conditions for the second round, in which Cabernet Sauvignons were tasted.

Although the French press was paying little attention to this event, there was a reporter from Time Magazine in attendance and he overheard the French experts saying things like "this wine is not good, it must be an American wine". Nonetheless, after the tallies were counted an American Cabernet (a 1973 Stag's Leap) was the top-rated wine, followed by a 1970 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild.

This single event, dramatically changed the market conditions for wines from Napa. Today Napa wines are the among the world's most sought after vintages.

A couple of nights ago I re-watched the movie "Bottleshock" which recounts the adventures of Spurrier as he toured Napa wineries looking for bottles to include in his competition. I loved this movie both times I watched it and if you haven't seen it ask to borrow my copy.

Current comparisons: It has been almost 40 years since Spurrier's tasting and occasionally groups have attempted to repeat the contest (Napa almost always wins). However, this type of contest is of little use to us ordinary consumers. Do I really care what is the world's best bottle of wine? I cannot afford to drink wines in that price range. My interest is in what wine in the $ 20. or $ 30. range tastes best.

I went on the LCBO website to see what a current vintage of the above famous wines might cost. Although it appears I can get a Chateau Montelina Chardonnay for as little as $ 79., a good vintage of a Chateau Mouton-Rothschild would set me back $ 1549. Even if the Stag's Leap can be had for $ 230., so what?

I have done a few wine tastings at my home in which I have compared French and other wines. However, my tasters are amateurs like myself. Then again perhaps what tastes best to an amateur is just as important as what tastes best to a professional.

Current competitors: When Spurrier pitted France again Napa, he was comparing wines from the world's most prestigious wine country to wines from an upstart area. But, one should note, in 1976 wine production was in its infancy in Australia. Chile had just begun to take wine making seriously, and in my very favorite wine area (Mendosa), the Argentinians were still only producing bulk plonc for blending.

I would love to see a serious competition between the best of the Old World wines (France, Italy, Spain) against the best of the New World (U.S., Australia, Argentina, Chile). And I would like to see it done by price range. For example the best wines under $ 100. or under $ 50. I know which countries I would put my money on, but then again, I don't think Mr. Spurrier is going to organize this competition.

Sonoma wines date even farther back than those from its more famous neighbour. There are some very fine wines from Sonoma where small family-owned vineyards predominate. Because of a wider climate variation throughout Sonoma there is also a wider variation of wine styles. Some of the more famous sub-areas of Sonoma are the Alexander Valley, Dry Creek and Russian River. Most important to me is the fact that Sonoma wines tend to be a little less expensive than those of Napa.


A proper wine tasting: While spending the month of March in Gulf Shores, Alabama, we noticed an ad for a wine-tasting dinner in neighbouring Orange Beach. This tasting offered a four-course dinner, and with each course two wines were presented for comparison, one from Napa and one from Sonoma. All of the wines tasted were from the Trinchero Family Estates and all the wines were made by the same wine maker. And, of course, they were very, very close in retail value. Now this was a very nice way to compare affordable wines from two distinct valleys.

In addition to eating excellent food at this fabulous restaurant (Villagio's in case you are ever in Orange Beach) the wines were all excellent. Yet there were subtle differences. I can't really say that I preferred one Chardonnay over the other, or one Pinot over the other. However, both Betty and I had a slight preference for the Sonoma Merlot and the Sonoma Zinfandel.

Opimian Offering 233: In this offering there are a number of good Bordeauxs, but they are overly pricey. Consequently, I have little to recommend from this offering. However, if you like an occasional bottle of Beaujolais, the 8102 Brouilly will be excellent.

WHINE # 58

Wine Pairing in Virginia: I am not one for buying discount coupons but my good spouse is a fan of "Groupon", "Living Social", etc. Just before we left frigid Nova Scotia for only slightly warmer Alabama Betty bought a coupon for a night at the Lafayette Inn in Stanardsville, Virginia. This included a 10-course tasting dinner with matching wines. As the price was ridiculously low I assumed that the wines would be plonc. WRONG!

The Lafayette Inn was built in 1840 and with the exception of being used as a hospital during the American Civil War it has been an inn ever since. Three other couples were staying at the inn and the eight of us gathered for dinner at 6:00 p.m. sharp. If one includes the Amuse Bouche we actually ate 11 courses, each one interesting and superbly prepared.

I shall not bore you with a description of the entire menu except to say that each course was perfectly paired with a wine from California, Argentina or Virginia. I had not realized that Virginia is the third largest producer of wine (after California and Washington) in the United States. To my surprise the three Virginian wines (two white, one red) that we tasted held up well against the more familiar wines from California and Argentina. The red (Prince Michel Merlot) was more like an "Old World" wine and would not have failed had it been positioned against a French Bordeaux.

Our host (the inn's owner and chef) did two things in his pairings that were most interesting. The very first wine we tasted, a Bandit Pinot Grigio from California (we were told that), was paired with with a delicate corn fritter and was a nice wine with which to begin. It was not until the end of the evening that our host told us that the Bandit was a boxed wine. None of the guests would have suspected.

Perhaps the most interesting wine pairing happened with courses six and seven. A Kenwood Chardonnay was served almost room temperature with the salmon trio (one piece blackened, one served with a dill sauce and one with a wasabi sauce). Then the same Chardonnay was served chilled with a more delicate chicken dish. When served at a warm temperature the oak was very pronunced, allowing the wine to stand up to the strongly flavored salmons. When icy cold the oak was much less pronounced making this a good match for the very mild chicken.

I had always believed that there was one correct temperature to serve a particular wine. Now I have learned that changing the temperature (at least of an oaked Chardonnay) can make it a better or poorer match for a particular food.

NEBBIOLO: Wine contains very complex chemicals and thus the difference from one wine to another can be very subtle. On the other hand much of the differences among wines can be described in terms of four variables. Wines vary in terms of their content of sugar, acid, alcohol and tannins. In terms of taste the sugar content is obvious. More acid gives the wine a "sharp" taste, although allowing subtle flavours to come through. The amount of alcohol determines the viscosity (thickness) of the wine. Finally, the tannins in a wine can be harsh or bitter when the wine is young but impart a smoothness to the wine when well aged. A good tannic wine will give a sense of dryness on the tongue making one almost want to pucker the lips. Tannins also allow a wine to age or cellar helping to bring through any fruit flavours.

When it comes to Italian wines many of us think of their primary characteristic as being high in acid. This is particularly true of the common Italian grapes Sangiovese and Corvina (the main grape in Valpolicella). Obviously these acidic wines match well with the tomato sauces that we love on our pasta dishes.

One Italian grape variety that is largely ignored in North America is Nebbiolo. This grape is grown primarily in Piedmont and the wines from this area are rich not only in acids but heavy in tannins.

The Nebbiolo grape is rarely grown outside Piedmont but it is capable of producing some of the best wine imaginable. Two of the most famous of these wines are BARBARESCO and BAROLO. Of these two Barolo is the more tannic (because of differences in the soils). Also Barbaresco, although pricey, is quite a bit less expensive than Barolo.

Barolo, known for many years as "the King of Wines" is considered to be the very best Italian wine. It has the scent of tar and roses and it is thick and wonderfully tannic. Despite the fact that it is lightly colored it is not a light wine, usually having an alcohol content above 15%.

There are two down-sides to Barolo. First, because of the high level of tannins the wine needs careful aging. Barolo is best when aged about 15 years, whereas Barbaresco needs about 12 years. On the other hand, their cheaper cousin (NEBBIOLO del ALBA) is ready in about 5 years.

Should you have the opportunity to try a bottle of well-aged Barolo you definitely need to pair it with heavier foods. The recommended food pairings include meat dishes, heavy pastas and rich risottos; in other words, foods high in protein.


CELLAR OFFERING # 232:
I have only a few recommendations for this offering. Offering 232 has lots of good Italian wines but they are mostly very expensive. Two less expensive possibilities are 8050, a Negroamaro, and 8091 an Aglianico from Campania. I have not tried this particular wine but on the other hand I have never found an Aglianico (a varietal) that I didn't like. It is a dark, tannic wine for those of you so inclined. Finally, there are three Barolo's in this offering should you have the patience to cellar and the money to spend.